GPS devices are becoming more prevalent in a variety of modes. Many vehicles come equipped with onboard navigation systems or onboard navigation capability. Typically, these systems will either display a route to be traveled, along with a series of directions, or they will audibly recite directions as a driver is en route to a destination.
Portable GPS devices and even some cellular phones or other wireless devices may also be used to provide directions, again, providing the directions in a visual or audible manner.
Typically, when interacting with these devices, a user will input a destination location. Using the present GPS coordinates of the vehicle, a routing engine will determine a route to the destination location, according to one or more predefined parameters (e.g., without limitation, fastest route, avoiding highways, avoiding toll roads, avoiding dirt roads, etc.).
In the most common manner of operation, the devices instruct the user when to turn (left, right, bear left, bear right, sharp left, sharp right, etc.). The warnings on when to turn are usually given some distance ahead of the turn, and may be repeated a number of times until the turn is to be made.
In many of these systems, however, little attention is given to, for example, crossroads along a route that are not taken as part of the route. For example, as a user approaches a particular turn along an audibly (but not visually) provided route, the user will typically only be given the instruction for when the turn occurs. In the audible-only systems, the user will not typically receive any data regarding roads along the route on which the user is not presently traveling or onto which the user is being instructed to turn.
Even with visual-based systems, cross-road names may not be displayed, and the user is provided with little, if any, information regarding cross-roads, unless the user inadvertently turns on to one of those roads (thus making the road part of the “new” route).